ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons is excited to welcome Leslie Schuemann as the fourth commissioner of the American Southwest Conference.
Schuemann was named by the Council of Presidents to replace current commissioner David Flores, who has announced his resignation at the end of the month. She has most recently served as the Deputy and Senior Associate Commissioner of the Division I Great Midwest Athletic Conference in Indianapolis.
"We are thrilled to get a well-respected leader like Leslie to usher us into the new era of the American Southwest Conference and the work that David Flores accomplished to keep the ASC together and expand us back to six teams," said Hardin-Simmons president Eric Bruntmyer. "Great things are on the horizon because of the leadership of both individuals."
Schuemann previously served as a Senior Associate Commissioner of the Heartland Conference, was the Director of Athletics at Fresno Pacific University and was the Assistant Director of Academic and Membership Affairs at the NCAA.
She earned both her bachelor's degree in human relations and master's degree in counseling psychology from Texas A&M University at Kingsville. She also started her career as an assistant athletic director and senior women's administrator at TAMUK.
Schuemann joins Fred Jacoby (1996-2006), Amy Carlton (2006 to 2023) and Flores (2023 to 2025) as the only commissioners of the NCAA Division III Conference, which currently features teams located throughout the state of Texas.
The ASC announced in the spring the return of two former members
, McMurry University and Schreiner University
, for the 2026-27 school year. They will join current members East Texas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University, Howard Payne University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
As a league, its members have won 11 NCAA Division III team titles in eight different sports. Its teams are always strong contenders both regionally and nationally in postseason play.
The ASC offers championships in men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis
, and soccer
, as well as baseball
, football
, softball
, and volleyball. In 2026-27, the league will bring back a conference championship in men's and women's outdoor track and field and will add an inaugural indoor track and field championship. That year will also be the first championship in the recently added sport of women's flag football.
The ASC was founded in 1996 and embodies a multidimensional mission aimed at creating an environment characterized by opportunities to learn, friendly competition and activities for its conference membership. ASC members believe team and individual sports provide learning opportunities, and its membership strives to create an athletics environment supportive of teaching and learning. Conference and NCAA resources also provide student-athletes, coaches and administrators access to academic, leadership, sportsmanship and career enhancement opportunities.
For more information on the American Southwest Conference, please visit
www.ascsports.com.
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